A Rare Case of Cranial Nerve VII Neuropraxia Associated with Alveolar Nerve Blocks

Case Presentation: A 26-year-old male presented to our emergency department for six days of right-sided facial myasthenia and parasthesias following a dental procedure using anesthetic nerve blocks. Discussion: Iatrogenic cranial nerve VII neuropraxia, a peripheral nerve injury, is an uncommon complication of alveolar nerve blocks with few documented cases specifically due to dental anesthesia. Treatment usually involves use of oral corticosteroid and/or antiviral medications along with close follow-up in clinic with a neurologist and/or otolaryngologist.

An Unusual Case of Nasal Septal Hematoma Caused by Local Dental Anesthesia in a 15-Year-Old Girl

Introduction: Nasal septal hematoma (NSH) is a complication of nasal trauma, which its emergency treatment is drainage of hematoma. Delayed treatment may result in necrosis of the nasal cartilage and saddle nose deformity. Case Presentation: Here, we reported a 15-year-old girl presented with NSH associated with a dental local anesthetic injection, which led to nasal septum necrosis. Conclusions: Computerized tomography (CT) scanning was performed to determine the hematoma size and existence of other complications.

Effect of a Vibration System on Pain Reduction during Injection of Dental Anesthesia in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background. The ‘‘gate control’’ theory suggests pain can be reduced by simultaneous activation of larger diameter nerve fibers using appropriate coldness, warmth, rubbing, pressure, or vibration. This study investigated the efficacy of a device combining cold and vibration, for needle-related procedural pain in children. Methodology. A total of 51 children aged 5–12 years participated in this randomized controlled clinical trial. Half of the children were in the control group and received maxillary buccal infiltration, by injecting 1.8 ml of 2% lidocaine with 1 : 100,000 adrenaline using topical anesthesia 20% benzocaine gel for 15 seconds, while the other half were in the test group and received the same anesthesia using a commercially available external cold and a vibrating device. A face version of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used as a subjective measure to assess the child’s pain experience. The parents were requested to evaluate the child’s ability to tolerate pain using a behavioral/observational pain scale. Sound, Eyes, and Motor (SEM) scale and Faces, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) scale were used to record the child’s pain as perceived by the external evaluator. T-test or Mann–Whitney U-test was used for scale variables, paired sample T-test or Wilcoxon rank t-test was used for before and after data, and chi-square was used for categorical variable, based on the results of normality test. Results. The results showed a statistically significant reduction in pain after the injection for the test group compared with control using VAS scale (mean = 6.68 (1.09) and 8.42 (0.50); p = 0.001 ) and FLACC scale (mean = 5.92 (1.05) and 8.16 (0.54); p = 0.002 ), but not when using SEM scale (mean 3.22 (0.42) and 4.24 (2.74); p = 0.08 ). Conclusions. Combined external cold and vibrating devices can be an effective alternative in reducing experienced pain and fear in children undergoing infiltration dental anesthesia. This study was registered with clinical trial registry of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03953001).